Pellet Guns in Howard County

HoCoShooter · May 17, 2013

So I'm going to a friends for a little while this evening, and his son (14) wanted to know if he could shoot a couple cans in the backyard with the .177 pellet gun he saw at my house.

They have maybe a 1/2 acre and its a long rectangular lot. Plenty of room to shoot but no way to do it in the backyard without at least 3 neighbors seeing it and his neighbors are all asses.

I figured the answer was probably not, but I called the police station just to ask. The answer I got was that "it was illegal to fire any missile in a metropolitan area of Howard County." I said "a .177 pellet fired in a safe direction is considered a missile?" He said yes, if you are on 3 to 5 acres in the western part of the county you MAY be ok.

What horsecrap.

I may or may not have already dispatched squirrels O' plenty out my own kitchen window in the past with said pellet gun. :innocent0

R1Peacock · May 17, 2013

Yep.... Even airsoft and nerf it you want to get technical since most county ordinances include (spring, air and gas). I retired from Baltimore County and only a small portion above the Herford zone was allowed to shoot. Even as a police officer if there was a deer wounded we had to have an act of congress to shoot the thing. Often heard stories during In Service Training of officers beating deer to death or running over them with the patrol car.

ohen cepel · May 17, 2013

What is the "metropolitan area"?

MonkeyPunch · May 17, 2013

The same BS is also applicable in MoCO; I do not know if the same laws apply, but in MoCo it's legal to fire it in your basement. May be worth checking out (not that I'm advocating letting a kid shoot up your basement).

hvymax · May 17, 2013

Gee in Chuckles Co I shoot beltfeds off my back deck. We don't plan to fail we fail to plan.

HoCoShooter · May 17, 2013

hvymax said:
Gee in Chuckles Co I shoot beltfeds off my back deck. We don't plan to fail we fail to plan.

Must be nice!

Gah

BDWMS · May 17, 2013

Yeah. The first I heard about that law was a few months ago and definitely didn't know it when we bought our house last July. It's seeming more and more like my kids (1st one due this September) won't grow up like I did on the Shore. Heck. Our house backs to a creek and a hundred yards of thick woods/swamp but my little boy won't be able to shoot a BB gun for his 8th birthday...

pleasant1911 · May 17, 2013

It should be okay, even if its illegal, as long as your not shooting towards a house or something...if your backing is the woods, then who would say what. My parents live in PG county, and their house is backed up by woods, and I shoot my air rifle out there all the time.

Tell them its not a missile, its a pellet...but if your backyard does not face any woods, then you not be out there...I live in HOCO, and after work I see bunch of cops just chillin at exxon on gorman rd and rt1 all the time around midnight...and if they all break for a call and its for shooting a bb gun damn shame...while the PG, DC cops are responding to real guns...Thats what happens when our county lives in a liberal bubble...

cantstop · May 17, 2013

yup, law passed in 2009, I think. You can read it on lexis-nexus.

IANAL, but the way I read it, even though plinking with a bb gun is illegal you can take a shotgun, AR, 44Magnum, etc. and toast any "dangerous" animal on your property.

whistlersmother · May 17, 2013

ohen cepel said:
What is the "metropolitan area"?

Typically the area served by the water authority - i.e. public water and sewer.

This google search produces the first link which may be of interest:

howard county metropolitan firearm

The PDF that is produced seems to be the bill and IANAL.

Hunters are given exceptions, as long as it is outside the metro area OR within the metro area and 10 acres of land. I _THINK_ I've seen duck/geese hunters at Maple Lawn, right beside of Fulton Elementary and Lime Kiln Middle. There is a blind there anyway and I've seen guys wearing camo come out of it.

Target practice _IS_ allowed outside the metro area, but only on INSPECTED and APPROVED ranges - sigh. That would seem to indicate you need to have your pellet range inspected and approved before firing pellets - sigh.

Oh, and if you want a big sigh, do a google search for "Howard County Deer Management Task Force Report" - some crazy woman wants to give the deer contraceptives. The best contraceptive for deer is at the end of a 30-30 winchester round or broadhead arrow.

Her website, if you're interested: www.animal-advocates.org/

whistlersmother · May 17, 2013

cantstop said:
yup, law passed in 2009, I think. You can read it on lexis-nexus.

IANAL, but the way I read it, even though plinking with a bb gun is illegal you can take a shotgun, AR, 44Magnum, etc. and toast any "dangerous" animal on your property.

Yes, that's my understanding also. Are deer "dangerous"? I've had some snort at me while watering trees in the late evening - rutting season and all...

MonkeyPunch · May 17, 2013

whistlersmother said:
Yes, that's my understanding also. Are deer "dangerous"? I've had some snort at me while watering trees in the late evening - rutting season and all...

Wife's had some hiss at her while she was getting into/out-of the car late at night - pretty sure they have to physically attack/charge you (because liberals love deer so much, they'll make them starve to death en masse).

whistlersmother · May 17, 2013

See: Howard County Municode: http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=14680&stateId=20&stateName=Maryland

The Maple Lawn guys can hunt within the metro district since they're on more than 10 acres with the proper offsets and using shot.

Note Title 8, Subtitle 4, Section 8.406 about Shooting Ranges.

The Department of Permits and Licensing is supposed to inspect and give written approval for shooting ranges. The are supposed to follow something called "Range Specifications" which they can disregard IF "the waiver will not affect the pubic health, safety or welfare and will not violate the intent of the "range specifications."

Sec 8.401 does _ALLOW_ cellar target ranges - so if you shoot your pellet guns in the basement, you're good to go (License & Permits doesn't inspect those).

I'm having trouble finding this "Range Specifications" document on the HoCo web site. Sigh.

Interestingly enough, Sec 8.404 seems to outlaw tasers.

ohen cepel · May 17, 2013

I'm on a well, septic field, down a private road. Hopefully, I will be allowed a little peace here if I want to let my kids shoot their BB guns.

Man, I hate md and what it's become.

whistlersmother · May 17, 2013

My continuing saga for "Range Specifications for Howard County"

I went to the permit search engine and found out that no one has ever applied for a Shooting Range Permit, according to the Licensing and Permit search engine at: https://accela1.howardcountymd.gov/citizenaccess/

Search the BUILDING permits for Shooting Ranges.

I started an application to see if it would link to something, but the web-site had an error - it didn't give me an option for selecting the building permit type.

So, this mysterious "Range Specifications for Howard County" remain elusive. Perhaps I can get the Bowie Goat Man to help me find it. I suspect a call to License&Permits is needed, but I know what that conversation will go like:

ME: I want someone to come out and inspect my pellet gun range.
THEM: You want us to do WHAT? WHY would we need to do that, its pellets... Oh, it falls under us - well, no one has ever asked for that, I don't know if we can do that right now...

It is just easier to shoot in the basement.

Sigh.

UPDATE: My quest for the "Range Specifications for Howard County" has led me to sending e-mail to Shari Logan, Chief of Licenses & Permits. Perhaps she can help me find Goat Man also.

whistlersmother · May 17, 2013

ohen cepel said:
I'm on a well, septic field, down a private road. Hopefully, I will be allowed a little peace here if I want to let my kids shoot their BB guns.

Man, I hate md and what it's become.

Well if you shoot when some concert is at Merriweather, I really doubt there will be the man power to investigate BB shooting on private property.

This is all a result of a careless hunter smashing a daycare window with a mis-aimed slug out in Clarksville. Hopefully that hunter paid a steep price for his misdeed. The liberals panicked and now we got what we got.

Why didn't they exempt BB guns, pellet guns, etc. on private property? I bet the person that wrote the bill hates anything projectile related - ie. a anti-everything, including hater of military and police.

The liberal knee-jerk strikes again.

safecracker · May 17, 2013

I HATE Howard county.

tall.guy88 · May 17, 2013

The truth is if you like guns, leave Maryland.

BDWMS · May 17, 2013

I noticed the part about pests. I'm actually having issues with a groundhog and holes under the fence. The dog really doesn't need to find out she cab dig under there...

I really miss living on the Eastern Shore. It's a good place to grow up.

whistlersmother · May 17, 2013

BDWMS said:
I noticed the part about pests. I'm actually having issues with a groundhog and holes under the fence. The dog really doesn't need to find out she cab dig under there...

I really miss living on the Eastern Shore. It's a good place to grow up.

I Am Not A Lawyer:

Well, if the groundhog is threatening, you can kill it with anything from a pellet gun up to a Barrett 50 cal if you have one (Sect 8.401 (e) - exception to the prohibition)

But officer, that groundhog bared its GAINT teeth at me :innocent0

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